A View of St.petersburg 1915

Konstantin Gorbatov painted this view of St. Petersburg, using what looks like oil paint, with these really energetic marks. The whole scene, the buildings, the water, the sky, is built from the process of putting brushstroke next to brushstroke. I love the materiality here, how the texture of the paint really animates the picture! See how the green of the water isn’t just one flat tone but built up out of different shades, and directions of strokes? And then those vivid red reflections really sing out against the green, making it all vibrate. It’s a dance of color, and a dance of paint. There’s something about this approach to picture making that reminds me of someone like Bonnard – that same interest in the world filtered through the sheer joy of pushing paint around a canvas. It’s like Gorbatov isn't just showing us St. Petersburg, he is showing us his love of painting. And that, in itself, is a beautiful thing.